Saturday, September 01, 2018

Krista Szewczyk Posed as Dentist for 7 Years. Prosecutors and Dental Board Fail

Szewczyk was first accused of illegally performing dental procedures in 2012. The District Attorney at the time decide not to pursue charges citing a conflict of interest since her husband was a Deputy Sheriff in Paulding.

Apparently, Szewczyk posed as a dentist through her mini-DSO, County Dental Providers. She also is reported to have performed dental procedures in the homes of patients.

At least one patient was sent to the hospital due to an abscess in his throat the size of a tennis ball.

In an interview with Atlanta TV station WGCL, Szewczyk said: “It’s definitely a personal vendetta” by the prosecutor. She added, “Sad situation … and I’m confident it will be handled in a timely manner.”

The investigation into Szewczyk dates to 2013, when the Georgia Board of Dentistry alerted the district attorney’s office to complaints about Szewczyk, who ran a business called County Dental Providers starting in 2011 that contracted with independent licensed dentists to come in and work on patients, Donovan says.

The state board’s 2013 alert prompted a criminal investigation at the time that led to a single charge in Paulding County accusing Szewczyk of performing dental services without a license, the district attorney says. But on the DA’s recommendation, Szewczyk was enrolled in a pretrial diversion program that did not require her to enter a plea, and instead allowed for the charge to be dropped if she successfully completed the program.

“This was the only instance of which we were aware at the time, so we just said, ‘Don’t do this anymore,'” says Donovan. “I got a notice saying she had completed the program about the same time I heard from the Board of Dentistry that she was back at it again.”

There are indications Szewczyk is associated with Heartland Dental on her LinkedIn page which has been removed. Additionally her picture appears on Group Dentistry Now blog.